Director - Business Development & Project Implementation (Middle East and Africa Region)

Job Description

Job PurposeThe successful candidate will collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and execute comprehensive business plans that align with DP Worlds overall strategic objectives. He/she will also be responsible for cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with key customers, partners, and stakeholders, while continuously monitoring market trends and competitor activities to identify opportunities for growth and innovation. Key AccountabilitiesBusiness Development

• Strategy: Participating in the development of the regional business development strategic focus and roadmap aligned with the annual strategic direction set by the CEO & Managing Director :
  • Participating in the Presentation of the MEA BD strategy at regional annual strategy meetings.
  • Identifying key countries that fit DP World Global strategy, exploring investments in different business pillars and best investment approach
• Project identification and evaluation: lead the identification and initial evaluation of early-stage business development opportunities
  • Lead detailed due diligence process, liaising with all key internal and external stakeholders. (Within MEA and across the key other departments)
  • The incumbent is the owner of the project and will be responsible to manage the process from the initiation until the final validation by an ExCom approval
  • Lead the regional review of M&A opportunities as required by the management.
  • DP World Business Projects consists of:
  • • Port development
    • Economic zones development
    • Logistics Projects
    • IT systems and Technology
    • Shipping, Marinas, and cruise terminals.
    • Customs
    • Others
• Transaction development: lead cross-functional business units to negotiate and develop the key transaction deal documents (MoUs, term sheets, concession documents, shareholders agreements, etc.
  • This will include:
    • Developing a differentiated DPW offering to address the key concerns of counterparties
    • Identifying and mitigating key risks to DPW e.g. arbitration, expropriation, legal disputes, etc.
    • Ensuring the deal documents allow DPW to achieve key corporate objectives such as ability to raise project finance, ensure DPW has management and operational control, DPW able to consolidate project into DPW Ltd financials, etc.

• Conditions precedent (CP) fulfilment: Track CPs and ensuring that both DPW and the other contractual parties fulfil their CPs
• Transition plan - developa transition plan for the transfer of operating projects from existing management to DPW management.
• Financing: support the regional finance and HO finance teams market projects to commercial banks and development finance institutions to raise the necessary debt financing to implement projects.
• Stakeholder management:
  • Typically responsible for managing the high-level stake holders at the inception of the project and transitioning these to the BU CEO as the BU is staffed up. On projects in more difficult environments this requires very active management of key stakeholders from Government Ministers, Head of Port Authority, key service providers etc. and Director is expected to act as an additional communications channel for sensitive or high level issues that cannot be managed by local team alone.
  • Proactively engage with respective product and vertical heads in our global logistics pillar to ensure alignment with global strategy (vertical and product specific)
• Project monitoring: work with the BU management to ensure all DPW obligations under the concession/development agreement, identifying any variations from the forecasts presented to ExCom and identifying ways to improve performance.
• Board Director - representing DP World as a Board Director in operating companies to ensure that local management are achieving the targets set, identifying variations to forecast and working with the local management to address any negative variations.
• Strategic commercial/infrastructure investment:Lead and direct projects (M&A experience is an advantage though not essential) - including reviewing and performing due diligence on business cases with proven experience in the logistics industry

• Minimum 10 years relevant industry experience in project development and/or implementation in large infrastructure projects, consulting or investment banking.
• Strong business acumen and a structured thinker with the ability to keep many balls in the air at the same time
• Knowledge of the logistics and supply chain industry
• Have solid understanding of the key profitability drivers in logistics and supply chain management
• Previous experience in a global company, ideally in a headquarter or regional function, to understand how changes are driven from a global scale with, experience in a large logistics company being a plus
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with experience in developing and reviewing financial models for project finance.
• Strong communication and influencing skills. Must have the ability to engage and influence a wide variety of stakeholders from Government Ministers to labor unions.
• Comfortable working in environments with extreme uncertainty with little supervision and capable of dealing with stressful s
• Understanding of global trade patterns and drivers.
• Extensive experience of travelling and working in cross cultural environments.
• Undergraduate degree and MBA or ACCA
• Language skills a strong plus(command of English, Arabic and French language is an advantage)

Keyskills :

About Company

DP World is an Emirati multinational logistics company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It specialises in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free trade zones.